Germany Puts an Expiration Date on Nuclear Power

Posted on May 29, 2011

Just two and a half months after Japan’s nuclear disaster kicked off a global rethink, Germany’s governing coalition has committed to closing down all of the country’s nuclear power plants by 2022. Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germany will replace nuclear, which until recently provided almost a quarter of the country’s power, with more sustainable alternatives.

Germany is really showing off at this point. It’s got a thriving economy, a decent safety net, less cause to worry about nuclear meltdown and, until recently, a psychic octopus. —PZS

BBC:

Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrats had met with its junior partners on Sunday after the ethics panel had delivered its conclusions.

Before the meeting she said: “I think we’re on a good path but very, very many questions have to be considered.

“If you want to exit something, you also have to prove how the change will work and how we can enter into a durable and sustainable energy provision.”